Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Trip Report A Circuit of Cathedrals: Wells, Worcester, York Minster, and Durham + Burghley House

Note: Yep, this is going to be long. I love reading detailed trip reports, and I enjoy writing them detailed. We had an itinerary that encompassed places (Wells, Worcester, Burghley House) with few traveler reviews so I’m submitting mine. So get settled in your Business class armchair, sip a tall glass of sherry, and enjoy!

When a United Business class seat sale popped up in October 2023, we booked our third trip to England in as many years. My previous two trip reports on England are posted on this board if you want to click on my name. We love England. My Manchester-born parents instilled in me a love of the country, and as a student of literature and history, my affection deepened. We’ve read books, seen every documentary on English history/kings/queens on Netflix, Tubi, and Brit Box as well as every Hollywood movie of this queen or that king. Of late, binging Netflix’s The Last Kingdom fanned our interest even more of early British history. I’ve just started reading Phillipa Gregory’s new book Normal Women which illuminates the lives of women in England over the last 900 years. Fortunately, my spouse, Linda, is also enamored by England’s history, particularly Elizabeth I and all things Tudor. Match made in heaven!

I knew we needed to visit Burghley House, the Cecil Burghley property in Stamford, just outside of Peterborough. We visited Robert Cecil’s Hatfield House (just outside of London) several years ago (loved!) and thought we’d check out this other Tudor-era home. I was hoping we could squeeze in Peterborough Cathedral, but the timing just didn’t work even though our hotel was a mere five minutes away. We wanted to return to York to give that city a bit more time. I wanted to see the “scissor” arches in Wells Cathedral, so we started with those sights and built around them.

Cathedrals are a huge draw for us. The massive stone structures reaching to the heavens; the history of the pilgrims, relics, bishops, and graves in each one; the crypts with the earlier churches embedded in various forms in the foundations; and stepping on stone steps so worn down by centuries of foot traffic. We’ve visited Westminster, of course, St. Paul’s, Salisbury, Gloucester, Canterbury, and Winchester on previous trips as well as cathedrals in Austria, Germany, and France.

Our itinerary:

Day 1: Fly out of SFO

Day 2: Arrive in LHR/Day and night in Wells

Day 3: Leave Wells for Worcester/Day and night in Worcester

Day 4: Train to York/Day and night in York

Day 5: York

Day 6: York

Day 7: Train to Peterborough/Deposit bags at hotel/ train ride to Stamford and Burghley House

Day 8: Train to London/Day and night in London

Day 9: London

Day 10: Fly home

Having driven in England on previous visits, Linda did not want to drive on this one as driving on the “wrong” side of the road was stressful. Stressful for driver and passenger! I get it. I didn’t necessarily want to drive either. So we tried to train as much as possible. I booked most of the trains when the Advance Single tickets were released. I had to research what the Advanced Single price was by mocking up earlier dates and trains, calculate when the the Advance Singles would pop for my dates, create alerts, and check back constantly as sometimes I found them before the alerts did. When I did buy the Advance Single tickets a few months out, I plugged in that would we have the Two Together railcard…even though I wouldn’t actually buy the digital card until a few days before we left. Why purchase the card in May or June when I could buy the card in mid-August? Maybe there’s a fourth trip to England next summer before our rail card expires! 😊 Last year our rail card was purchased at Waterloo station the day before we began our train trips. I had two passport-style photos with us, we lined up at the customer service area, and bought it that way. This year we just did it all through the National Rail app or was it the trainline app? Easy peasy.

I either purchased our train tickets from the actual railroad site we would be using or through trainline. Yes, trainline charges a booking fee, but it seemed slight compared to the convenience of the app. For one ticket we received a 10 pound off the next purchase so we booked another through trainline. We took a total of 9 train rides and NOT ONCE were we asked to show our digital card. I was fortunate to purchase Heathrow Express tickets at 3.65 pounds each on the HE app (with the railcard discount) before that bargain rate was discontinued.

Overall the trains worked well for us. We were able to store our luggage (one 25-inch roller each) on the luggage racks and ended up sitting near them. Trains were comfortable and having a restroom on the train was a plus, especially on the long train ride from Worcester to York. We booked 2nd class tickets, mostly in the designated “Quiet” car.

Day 2 LHR and Wells

Arrived at LHR at 6:30AM. Because we’d have to schlep ourselves to Paddington, then train to Bath or Castle Cary, and then get a taxi to drive us 40 minutes or so to Wells, I decided that we’d just hire a driver to take us directly from LHR to Wells with Blackberry Cars. Pricey, yes, at 199 GBP. When I created the itinerary for the trip, I didn’t realize that Wells was off the beaten train path. So it was a 2-hour drive with an extremely interesting driver. We talked the entire time about politics, his country of birth-Portugal, politics in England and America, and his current business ventures. By the time we arrived in Wells on a dreary, drizzly day, we were bushed.

The Swan Hotel (170 GBP w/out breakfast) was located across a street from the cathedral. It was an old coaching inn and guests included (according to a blue plaque outside) Henry VII, Winston Churchill, Bernard Shaw, and Queen Anne of Denmark. It wasn’t a warm welcome…the gal at the desk didn’t even make eye contact. Room isn’t ready, leave your luggage here, kind of thing. We asked for a towel so we could wash up in the lobby’s bathroom and that was granted. We asked if she’d call us when our room was ready. She reluctantly took our phone number and said she’d call. She didn’t. It wasn’t until mid-afternoon that we returned and was able to get into our room. A room that was at the other end of the property. No problem…are there stairs? No. Well, there were. Several flights of them. I hauled back to the lobby and asked for some assistance. A young man walked me back and when he was outside our room with our bags, he realized the desk clerk gave us a card for our room, but the room required an actual key. So back to the lobby to retrieve the key! I must say the room was nice and large with a walk-in shower. Skimpy on the towels, but I had seen a pile of towels at the bottom of our stairwell, so I pinched a few. Our windows faced High Street but the noise didn’t bother us or affect our sleep. I found the cheapest rate was through booking.com where I am now a Genius member and have benefited from even more savings, although I always cross-reference the rate with the actual hotel website before booking. Booking.com tip: If you do book through booking.com, check back from time to time to see if the price drops and then rebook and cancel the old booking. Though booking.com now says they will give you a credit for the difference if the price drops from your initial booking, I’d rather pay the lower price than have a credit. The Swan took the payment of the room up front last November.

We made the most of our time in Wells that first and only day we had. After leaving the hotel we visited the cathedral. Those “scissor” arches were magnificent! Just sat taking that view in! The architecture was stunning. The second oldest working clock in the world gave a little performance every 15 minutes. Vicar’s Close, a 650-year-old residential street, was adjacent to the Cathedral property. We must have seen three old city gates as we walked around the town. The Wednesday weekly market was going on…a lot of food stalls and flea market-type trinkets as well. Saw some elegant swans swimming in what looked like a former moat and walked over to the adjoining palace but felt like we were ready for our first round of fish and chips. We settled in the bar of the 15th century White Hart Inn near the hotel where young Wilbur was running the place. If you want to try out different beers and ciders, this is the place to be! Based on his recommendation, I enjoyed an apple and pear cider concoction. We didn’t go back out after we checked in to the hotel, trying to stay awake as long as possible. Wells felt a little worn around the edges not sprightly and upscale like Winchester…just my observation.

Day 3: Worcester

I hired a driver from Cathedral Cabs to take us to the Bristol Temple Meads train station to continue our journey to Worcester. Deb from CC was wonderful with her communications before and after our ride. I would recommend her company! An older male driver picked us up promptly and again, we enjoyed the conversation…his impressions about climate change in England, the NHS, our presidential election, and his family history in the area. We arrived at the station in 40 minutes instead of the hour the cab company had suggested (no school traffic slowed us down apparently) so we hopped on an earlier train.

When we arrived at Worcester Foregate station, we could have walked the ten minutes to the hotel, Browns at the Quay (135GBP w/ breakfast included) , but we took a 5 GBP taxi. When we left the following day, we were familiar with the area and easily walked back to the train station.

The hotel “lobby” was located in the restaurant area. We immediately liked the vibe of the place based on the restaurant. Large windows, really pretty bar area, high ceilings, and touches of bling. We left our luggage and headed out to the cathedral.

Worcester Cathedral was another treat. Burial place of King John of Magna Carta fame and Prince Arthur Tudor, yes, but there were many modern touches: a Pieta carved out of driftwood with Jesus stiffly on the ground; rectangular pieces of red and gold glass with metal overlays forming shafts for the choir’s candles; a 19th century stained glass window with a white elephant and pink giraffe displayed among the panes. I also appreciated that the Cathedral was full of docents who were ready to answer any questions and point out elements that might have been missed.

After exploring all sections of the cathedral complex, we walked down the road to The Commandery, a former medieval monastic hospital and later Royalist Headquarters during the deciding battle of the English Civil War. It was a sprawling complex with various artifacts and displays. The highlight was the embroidered coffin cover linen that was said to be the one covering Prince Arthur’s coffin.

By then we were hungry for a late lunch/early dinner. We spotted a Nando’s restaurant, home of the legendary South African flame grilled Peri-Peri chicken and sauces. My sister had introduced us to this chain when we visited her in England in 2017. We knew we’d have a good chicken dinner there, and we did. The place was hopping with teens. Our waiter explained that they had been slammed that day with customers because report cards were out and Nando’s offered a free something or other if your marks were of a certain level. “A” for you, Nando’s!

From there we walked over to the medieval quarter of the city to visit the Tudor House Museum run by a non-profit group. We walked through the rooms and read the various placards detailing life inside this home for Tudor-era folks. Interestingly, one of the Cadbury chocolate heirs was a later owner of the house. Continuing to walk the old streets, I found a yarn shop (House of Haby), yay, and enjoyed listening to some other customers talking about their knitting projects and asking the owner for help in finding the right yarn for next projects. I had to buy a few skeins, of course! We meandered around the city center a bit and purchased Compeed band aids (mostly for blisters…prevention and relief) for a friend of ours who swears the European ones are far superior to the American ones.

When we went back to the restaurant/hotel to check in to our room, the very Italian clerk told us to wait a minute. He upgraded our room to an apartment next to the restaurant… a two bedroom/two bath/kitchen/living room apartment with an elevator. Wow! It was beautiful, spacious, and clean. Early in the night we went out to the hotel bar for a drink and shared a cheese charcuterie board. The caramelized onion chutney was delish! We realized then that we’d miss our included breakfast as the breakfast didn’t open until 8AM and our train was departing just before 9AM. We looked over the breakfast menu and with the help of our waitress, picked some things that the chef could pack up for us cold and we could reheat it in our kitchen in the morning. Half an hour later I returned to the bar to pick up bread, fruit salad, ham, cheese, granola, and yogurt packed in foil packets for our picnic breakfast! Well done, Browns at the Quay!

Days 4/5/6: York

It was a long train ride to York…almost four hours with a change of trains and a delay or two. Our host at the No.21 Bed and Breakfast in York told us of a shortcut to the B&B from the train station prior to our arrival. His directions were clear, and it was an easy walk from the train station, through the parking lot, over a bridge and along the side of another parking lot, up a ramp, and then four doors up on the right, we arrived! Took all of about 10 minutes.

We fell in love with the place and Simon, the proprietor. He and his wife, Andrea, have thought of every comfort and convenience. We stayed in room #3 up two short flights of stairs (he hauled our luggage up and down). It was a Deluxe room with a king bed that included two high back lounge chairs facing an original fireplace with a little turn-on electric fake fire. The bathroom was modern with an easy walk-in shower set up. A flask of sherry and a flask of whiskey were waiting for us on the mini-fridge along with a small cookie jar of what tasted like crispy gingerbread. Slippers and robes in a wardrobe with lots of hangers made it easy to unpack with plenty of counter space in the bathroom for toiletries. And the homemade breakfasts! You order from a menu the night before and place the order at the reception desk at the foot of the stairs along with when you’d like to come down for your breakfast…any 15-minute increment from 8-9AM so Simon can space out people as they come down for breakfast that will be served hot and fresh.

I ordered a fruit salad every day. I have never had such a varied salad of fresh fruit like that before in my life…all perfectly cut up and such a generous serving. One day I had the Yorkshire breakfast with Simon’s delicious homemade baked beans; another morning it was blueberry/banana pancakes, and the last morning it was poached eggs on avocado- coated toast. Linda enjoyed the French press Taylor’s of Harrogate Hot Lava Java coffee. Local jams were available to go with homemade wheat or white bread with gluten-free bread on request.

Simon was the perfect host…interesting and interested. He asked about our plans, made suggestions, and then later asked about how things went. I appreciated how quickly he responded to my questions about York before our arrival, and as we were leaving, he offered to send me some restaurant suggestions for London, which he did. His wife, Andrea, worked behind the scenes. While guests were breakfasting, she’d be servicing the room. For 12.5 pounds they even did a load of washing for us. No.21 should be THE place to book if you are ever in York. I told Simon that someone on the Rick Steves England Hotel and Restaurant Tips on-line forum wrote an entry about No.21 and I said that I chimed in saying I would be staying there, too. Simon hadn’t logged on to that RS forum before so I showed him how to access that information. Later that night, I saw that Simon had responded on the thread, thanking the original writer for her kudos.

York was fun just to explore…going in and out of the shops, admire the architecture, people-watching. The admission to the Minister is for a year, so were able to explore on Day 1 and Day 2. Interesting artifacts in the crypt/museum and overall impressive architecture. The Rick Steves England book had a lot of information about the Minster and the Undercroft Museum which enhanced our visit. I had a long list of 2nd tier sights that we didn’t see the last time we were there, but we just enjoyed walking around. I had purchased discounted tickets to the York Dungeon using the deal offered by the National Rail “Days Out Guide, saving 1/3 off our tickets. We had such a fun time at the London Dungeon twenty-five years ago that we thought, hey, this might be a kick. Reviews were strong. Just a few minutes into the experience, Linda and I looked at each other with dismay. This felt like a high school Haunted House entertaining a middle-school audience…slapstick jokes, picking on an audience member who clearly wasn’t interested in playing along, cheesy props. Linda called it and we quietly asked if we could exit, and like rats in a maze, we were led out. Such a disappointment!

We did a little shopping at Betty’s Tea House and brought home some jarred specialties and a fruitcake for my 92-year-old Dad. York had a Kathe Wohlfahrt Christmas store, and I found something I liked. If you don’t know Kathe Wohflhart it is German-based Christmas store we discovered in Rothenburg, Germany in 2000 and found again in Strasbourg, France two years ago. Stopped in at The Yorkshire Soap Company and bought some soaps. The Body Shop has gone out of business in the states but we found one in York so we were able to stock up on some of our favorite products. We had fish and chips at Drake’s one day and a tasty Italian meal in La Vecchia Scuola’s back garden room on another. .

On our last full day in York, a Sunday, we trained to Durham to visit Durham Cathedral. It was another cold and blustery day but fortunately it did not rain. We arrived just before opening but we could enter and sit in the pews if we wanted to be part of the service. What massive columns with different patterns on each one. There were strings and strings of origami birds dangling from the tower’s ceiling over the altar area. A soft purple light shone on the display giving it an ethereal effect. We explored every part of the cathedral, the museum, the cloister, and the old monk quarters. Saw the crypts of the Venerable Bede and St. Cuthbert. Part of the Cathedral Museum (7 GBP each) highlighting rare artifacts was located downstairs in the former monks’ quarters. Bits and pieces of Cuthbert’s original wooden coffin were on display along with a video showing how the pieces would have fit together.

Exiting the cathedral, we walked down the hill and had lunch at the Turkish Kitchen…we shared a lovely hummus dish, an eggplant dish, and a chicken dish all seasoned very well. I saw another one in Stamford…must be a chain. We ordered an Uber to drive us back to the train station just as I saw the Cathedral-to-train station bus lumber up the road. The driver stopped, and I asked, I thought this shuttle didn’t run on Sundays? Just started, he said. Too bad the bus website hadn’t been updated to reflect that. I’m sure we could have walked, but it was hilly and cold. It was late afternoon by the time we returned to York, again an easy walk from the train station to the bed and breakfast.

Day 7: Peterborough

I had already purchased the train station tickets for Peterborough, and we were now well acquainted with the York train station. The train ride lasted just over an hour and the Park Inn by Radisson Peterborough (94.50 GBP w/ breakfast included) was about a ten-minute flat walk away from the station. Upon exiting, the station attendant suggested we cut across the parking lot and then turn left at the first exit with the light then right. Great! I have no compunction about asking for directions and/or asking for directions just to validate my own sense of direction. After exiting the parking lot, crossing the street, and turning right, the Radisson was right around the corner.

I chose the Radisson strictly based on location, knowing it was an easy walk to the train station. Too early for check-in but the clerk secured our bags and gave us a cold bottle of water. Good start!

We walked back to the train station and caught the next train to Stamford. It was a direct shot and took 12 minutes. Because it was a bank holiday Monday AND Burghley House had closed some of its access points because of a horse race event two weeks out, we took a waiting taxi outside the train station. I’m glad we did because several of the entrances we passed were closed, and we entered the estate via the last entrance.

The place was teeming with families, friends, couples, and dogs. The sun was out, it was a holiday, and a beautiful day. Lots of food trucks and vendor booths (part of the 3-day weekend event) lined the walkway and the courtyards surrounding Burghley House. I had purchased our tickets the night before to save 2 pounds each and so we made our entry. William Cecil, the 1st Lord Burghley (1520-1598) was the Lord High Treasurer to Queen Elizabeth 1st. The house is considered one of the grandest houses of the Elizabethan Age and is still lived in by a direct descendant of William Cecil! The brochure talked about “18 magnificent State Rooms, awe-inspiring art and priceless treasures” and it was all that! We saw a painting of Henry VIII and one of Elizabeth the 1st that we hadn’t seen before. The rooms were elaborately furnished, and the murals were still colorfully vibrant. There was one room where the artist had painted a rainbow arc delicately overlaying the wall mural. So many paintings on the wall including some by women artists. There were no tags below the paintings to identify the artist, so I frequently ended up asking the docents for information. Most did know the paintings, but some referred to the Burghley House book. So if you really want to get to know the paintings, buy the book before touring the house.

Getting back to the train station was going to be tricky. How to inform an Uber exactly where we were? We walked back to the parking lot where we were deposited, and Linda had an idea. She waved down a couple getting into their car and asked, Are you heading back to Stamford? No, they said. Moving on, Linda asked another driver getting into his car…No, he said, but then his wife popped up, No, but we can drive you there! Linda and I climbed in the back seat and sat next to the teenage daughter. Linda turned to the daughter and said, “Now, don’t you ever do this…never get into a car with people you don’t know.” We all had a good laugh. Five minutes later we were let off in a parking lot minutes from the train station and across the bridge from the center of Stamford. We thanked the family profusely. Whew! That worked out.

I had originally booked a hotel in Stamford but realized staying in Peterborough would be best in terms of the train station location. Again, Stamford’s small center was busy with people enjoying the holiday…lots of walkers with their dogs and/or folks licking up ice cream from a dripping cone. Our lunch was in the garden of the hotel I had originally booked, The Crown. We enjoyed a leisurely meal of chicken Caesar salad, an order of pate, and, of course, some chips! It was an easy walk back to the train station and a return to Peterborough.

Sadly the cathedral closed at 4PM so we missed it. However, I had read that there was a sea creature installation/exhibit going on and one visitor said on a forum that the royal tombs were closed for viewing. Oh well. We might not have been able to see Catherine’s tomb after all.

The Radisson wasn’t glamorous but serviceable. We had enough room to spread out comfortably. The buffet breakfast offered scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, and the usual cereals, cheeses, fruit, breads, juices, and coffee machine. It worked out very well. The chef came out to monitor the dishes and the breakfast attendant did an excellent job of clearing and cleaning.

Days 8 and 9: London!!!

We took the train from Peterborough to Kings Cross Station in just under an hour. Exiting the station, we wanted to order an Uber or Bolt. There was an active taxi stand nearby so we hemmed and hawed a bit figuring out what to do. The problem was we didn’t know exactly where we were…how to direct the Uber or Bolt to our location. The streets around us were hopping with people and cars. So we just climbed into a taxi to head to Club Quarters Trafalgar Square. Traffic was bumper-to-bumper, and the ride was slow. I knew enough about London to see we were going the long way. We hopped out on Northumberland Ave as the meter was hitting 22 pounds and walked the rest of the way.

This was our second stay at Club Quarters Trafalgar Square (499.60 GBP for two nights w/ breakfast included), staying here two years ago for two nights. We love the location. Embankment and Charing Cross tube stops are easy to reach, TS is kitty corner, the National Portrait Gallery and the National Gallery are right there, Covent Garden is an easy walk as is walking down Whitehall to Westminster. The Strand is right around the corner and two years ago when we were in London, we walked to see the musical Six…so easy. By Charing Cross there is a Boots, and a Tesco to the left of the hotel for snacks, drinks, and our favorite, Cadbury Twirl pieces and Cadbury Buttons. Next door to the hotel is 50 Kalo di Ciro Salvo Pizzeria that serves amazing pizza and wonderful salads. Waterstones bookstore is across the street.

I booked this on booking.com and found a great rate that included breakfast. It was a queen bed room with a kitchenette (microwave, sink, and fridge) and a sitting area (open area with couch) and a desk with two chairs. Yes, the room was awesome and large! Admittedly the view was non-existent as we were facing another building, but it didn’t dampen our enthusiasm for our room. There is an ice dispenser on each floor and water bottles for the cold-water spigot. If you want to relax or work, there is a club room off the lobby with comfortable chairs and tables and a coffee machine. Didn’t use it but they have a washer and dryer available for guests to use. I checked it out the last time. Out of the five hotels we stayed in, this was the only one whose bathroom contained an actual bar of soap. I always pack a bar now as I prefer it to liquid soap squirt bottles. As an aside, I also pack a 9x12 envelope to stuff my receipts, brochures, etc. in. Much better than having them float loosely around in my suitcase.

We left our bags at the desk and headed out. By this time in the trip, we needed to slow down. We ambled up the road toward Leicester Square and turned right. We stopped at an optical shop where Linda was able to purchase some great frames. We made a pilgrimage to Penhaligon’s where Linda purchased a bottle of Halfeti cologne (her favorite). I’m a Luna and Highgrove Bouquet kind of gal. Always fun to sniff the scents and Belinda was patient and helpful. No time for Liberty on this trip :( And then the moment had arrived. Dishoom! Ruby Chicken, Chicken Biriyani, and Garlic Naan… tasted as good as we remembered it! Last year when we spent nine days in London, we ate at Dishoom three times;}

On our last full day in London, we walked down to Westminster for our 10AM 90-minute audio tour of the Houses of Parliament Tour that I booked before we left home. We saw people huddling near an employee at the beginning of the line. Sorry, she said, but due to a glitch in our systems, no tours are being offered this morning. You’ll get a refund. You might want to check back after 1PM to see if we are re-opened, she said to the disappointed crowd. The refund was credited to my charge card later that day. I guess the HOP will bring us back to London!

Pivoting, we headed toward the Victoria and Albert Museum, a place we went to on our first visit but didn’t dive deep. Using our Apple watches was easy to tap in at tube stations/buses/taxis; no Oyster card required. Stopping first at Fortnum & Mason we bought some of our favorites, lemon and caper dressing (great on fish), lemon curd, some chutneys, piccalilli, and a cherry/chocolate curd. Entering the museum from the front where the bus dropped us off, the hanging Chihuly chandelier was so pretty although I thought it needed a good dusting. There was a Taylor Swift exhibit going on…stations were set up throughout the museum where there was music and usually an outfit featured that Taylor wore on one of her tours. I had read about this beforehand and would have loved to visit ALL the stations (huge fan) but settled for seeing excited youngsters and teens clearly tracking the locations. The cloakroom was 3 pounds to leave our F&M bag.

We focused on the Cast Courts first. Reproductions of famous sculptures…some we had seen in the original; others not because their locations were not and would probably never be part of our travels. Their authentic inauthenticity still made them interesting such as Trajan’s Column to the effigies of rules to pieces of churches and other buildings. What a treat! We traipsed over to the British Galleries and saw some artifacts from Tudor times. We wandered a bit more. I realized I should have purchased the 6 GBP guidebook. The museum felt just as confusing as the Louvre. The museum no longer offers a paper brochure with the floor plan…just a QR code to scan to see it all on your phone. I’m still a paper kind of gal: maps, brochures, etc. Next time!

We hopped on a bus then another to take us back to TS. Rested a bit before heading next door for pizza and salad. I know it sounds weird to eat pizza in London, but the crust was great, the grilled eggplant with pieces of delicate ham strewn on top with a very healthy salad with lettuce, green beans, olives, pumpkin seeds, garbanzo beans, and sweet cherry tomatoes halved in a light vinaigrette made for a solid meal. So good! This place along with Dishoom are our must-have meals now in London.

Day 10: Home

The following morning we Ubered to Paddington where we caught the Paddington Express to LHR. We enjoyed the United Lounge there while waiting to board. Flight home was uneventful. Read most of Katherine by Anya Seton on the flight home about the passionate life of Katherine Swynford, mistress and then later wife of John of Gaunt.

All in all, another wonderful trip! Already wanting to plan another England adventure, but Burgundy is booked for next May/June: Lyon, Dijon, and Beaune with some time in Paris. Notre Dame will be re-opened by then. Yay!

Thanks for re-living this trip with me!